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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pop — to visit
  4. band — a music group
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — all right
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. field — for sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pop — music
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. band — a ring
  14. suit — in cards
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — farmland
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — a subject
  19. game — wild animals
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cue — a signal
  22. suit — clothes
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com